Kingdom Hearts III: Let me Give the World to You
by ZeroSoul
Summary: Sora has been brought to a strange world by someone claiming to be his Heartless and now has to find his friends and his way home. Chapter 3 - Sora goes to Avalon but it's become a desert. BTW - he still hates New York.
1. Disney Castle

_A/N – This story is the result of a soda and sugar fueled afternoon in the RPG/anime club at Holyoke Community College. We were tired of waiting for Kingdoms Hearts III the game to come out and decided to write our own script out of irritated fanboy/fangirl boredom. I took the ideas discussed and cobbled them together into a workable story. Yeah, so advice and helpful criticism is welcomed on how our ideas worked out and what needs improvement. _

_Also, we went by Square Enix/Disney rules and regulations for this to seem official, which include: making things as canon to the Disney/Square Enix/Kingdom Hearts universe as possible, keep the rating for Everyone or Teen as the games are, and make sure to have fun._

_So, we don't own Kingdom Hearts, Square Enix, or Disney – though if we did we would have worked this into the new KH game. _

* * *

**Kingdom Hearts III: Let Me Give the World to You**

– "**Disney Castle" **

"Sora, you lazy bum, get up already!"

Sora's eyes flickered open and realized he was staring at a white ceiling, pockmarked from the paint dripping down to the floor and hardening into hard spikes and dips. It suddenly made him happy that he hadn't experienced horrid acne like some of the older boys in the Destiny Isles (though he found his memory of the place was suddenly vague).

He couldn't exactly recall _why _he was in this room. There was one bed and a wide window with a view of a marble-lined courtyard surrounded with perfectly trimmed trees. The bed was stuffed with feathers from some kind of bird, as Sora found himself covered with flecks of white and brown mottled feathers.

And someone was banging on the door and sounded irritated. "Sora, _get up_!" they yelled. It sounded like an older boy, around 16 or 17 years. He sounded far more experienced (and angrier) than Sora would ever find himself to be.

_Riku. _He suddenly remembered the name. Why he had forgotten it, he couldn't exactly recall. _'The person behind the door is a friend. Do not bludgeon him with Keyblade.' _Sora reminded himself and scurried toward the door.

The first thing Riku did was cuff Sora on the head. Sora winced, although the cuff didn't particularly hurt compared to being whacked by a Heartless or Nobody, and punched Riku in the shoulder. Riku did not even blink. Sora grumbled, knowing Kairi gave harder punches when she was angry enough.

"What was _that _for?" complained Sora.

"I've been standing out here for almost an hour!" said Riku.

"I didn't know what you wanted." said Sora, "If I knew you were going to hit me, I would have stayed inside."

"I didn't wait outside for an hour to _hit_ you." growled Riku, "In case you forgot, _Sora_, we have a party to go to."

"Party?" His memory was blank. "What party?"

Riku fought the urge to cuff him again. Sora was a good friend–always full of laughter and could bring a smile to his face but he could be dense as well as naïve. The older boy took a deep breath and spoke slowly, between clenched teeth.

"Sora, listen to me _very closely_." said Riku, "Do you remember going to Twilight Town, defeating a man named Xenmas, and then after all that getting a letter from King Mickey?"

Sora blinked. _"...yes." _

"Do you remember what the letter said?"

Sora blinked. _"…no." _

Ah, that was the source of the problem then and Sora did not (as Riku suspected) have lasting brain damage from fighting so many Heartless, Nobodies, and who-knows-what-else. Riku smoothed back his silver hair, reflecting the hallway lights. "King Mickey invited us to a ceremony at his castle, where we're getting medals for being heroes since we saved the universe. _Twice_. Without asking for money."

"Then why is my memory so cruddy?"

"It might have something to do with the _other_ party."

It came to Sora in a haze of bad karaoke singing and sugar – moist chocolate cake, frosted yellow cupcakes, soda, juice, and suddenly it made his stomach turn and his face was tinged with green. Riku recognized the look.

"You ate an entire tray of cupcakes, sang a horrible rendition of "I Will Survive", and passed around 3 am." said Riku, "I'm fairly surprised you can still walk without falling flat on your face, which you did by the way, so I had to carry you upstairs."

"So when's this award-ceremony?" yawned Sora. Last night's sugar rush had exhausted his usual supply of energy.

"It started 15 minutes ago." replied Riku, "So maybe you should change out of your pajamas and come with me."

Sora looked down at his blue and red striped boxers, which he had been dressed in the entire time. He groaned and slammed the bedroom door closed.

"_Riku_! Why _didn't_ you tell me I _wasn't_ dressed?" yelled Sora as he rummaged through the pile of clothes tossed aside on the floor. He was thankful Riku couldn't see through walls and recognize the embarrassing blush across Sora's face.

"I thought you already _knew_." replied Riku, failing to hide his annoyance.

The noise outside due to the party was deafening. Pages were playing instruments at full volume in the courtyard while others were preoccupied with setting up decorations along the walls and stringing it through the trees. Riku and Sora found Kairi standing near a podium with a sign stating 'WELCOME BACK, HEROES' strung above it. She was wearing a salmon red dress, similar to Queen Minnie's.

"Sora, you're alive!" said Kairi, surprised to see Sora up and about after the party. "I thought you'd still be sleeping since Riku had to carry you before."

"Yeah, I bounce back pretty fast." said Sora. He was wearing all white while Riku had been clothed in all blue. While Sora ran up to Kairi, Riku was not as quick to approach. There was a scowl on his face.

"What's he angry about?" asked Kairi, pointing to Riku.

"I look like a damn blueberry." grumbled Riku.

The three fairy godmothers, Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather followed him, fluttering only a few feet above the ground. They were dressed in their finest for the celebration and their long gowns trailed on the ground as they used their diminutive wings to remain the air.

"You look rather charming, Mr. Riku." said Fauna.

"You put me in all blue!" said Riku, "My hair is white and you put in _blue! _I look like a vegetable!"

"Actually, blueberries are fruit." replied Flora.

"That's not the point." growled Riku.

"If you want to be a fruit so badly, Riku, why didn't you say so?" said Merryweather.

Immediately, Riku was transformed into a large, talking blueberry around the size of a basketball. Sora and Kairi stared at their transformed friend as the other fairy godmothers began to fret at Merryweather. Riku – the anthropomorphic blueberry – was too shocked to speak.

"_Merryweather_!" said Flora, "What have we told you about transformation spells?"

"He wanted to be a blueberry." said Merryweather, shrugging, but she had done it to vex Riku simply because she wore blue all the time and found it offensive he would insult the lovely color.

"Not _literally_!" yelled Fauna, "Change him back right now!"

Riku the blueberry squeaked in agreement. His vocal chords had unfortunately shrunken in his violet, bulbous form.

"I…I can't." said Merryweather..

"WHAT?" Flora and Fauna yell.

"I'm out of energy." sighed Merryweather, "We'll have to wait til tomorrow when the sun rises for me to change Riku back. I'm not used to casting such spells and this one tired me out."

Riku the blueberry squeaked in great distress. An elderly man wearing a robe and a pointed hat waltzed by the scene, gazed at Riku, and then shook his head.

"Ladies, you mustn't torment the young hero." said Merlin. He withdrew an oak wand from his sleeve and tapped blueberry Riku on the hand. _"Verto ex a bacca ut a puer!" _

There was a puff of smoke and Riku was no longer a blueberry, although he did have a blue hue to his skin.

"Riku, you're back to normal!" said Kairi.

"I hate magic." grumbled Riku, looking at his skin to make sure there were no trances of violet left in it.

Sora was more concerned with Merlin's arrival. "Merlin, what are you doing here?" asked Sora.

"I was invited by King Mickey," replied Merlin, "I was thinking of bringing along my young ward Arthur and his friends but they're busy practicing together. He really loves the countryside too much to leave it, sometimes."

"Arthur?" asked Sora.

"Oh, that's right! You never met Arthur, have you?" murmured Merlin, "Well, I'll have to introduce you two after the festival. I'm sure you two'll get along. Arthur's very nice – not very bright but a kind young man none the less."

The conversation would have continued but a series of trumpets sounded, announcing the arrival of the royal family. King Mickey and Queen Minnie entered the courtyard, flanked by guards, knights, and magicians. Trailing behind them were the Princesses of Heart with their Princes on their arms and last came Donald and Goofy in their royal costumes. Then there were the major and minor pages, maid and manservants, and other varied attendants. Last but not least came the flood of commoners that lived around the castle.

Merlin, Merryweather, Flora, and Fauna took turns bowing to the King and Queen, and Sora, Riku, and Kairi followed suit. King Mickey stood at the podium, cleared his throat, and prepared his speech in front of the people.

"Today we are honoring three special guests." said King Mickey, "Their names are Sora, Riku, and Kairi and each of them has helped prevent our worlds from falling into darkness."

"We helped too." whispered Donald.

"Don't ruin the moment." replied Goofy.

"That is why I am bestowing upon them the highest honor in the kingdom," continued King Mickey, "I here by declare that Sora, Riku, and Kairi are now Royal Knights of the Disney Castle!"

The courtyard was filled with gasps of surprise and shock from the announcement.

"Royal Knights?" asked Sora. He looked to Goofy and Donald standing next to him, "What does that mean?"

"Gawrsh, never expected the king to make you into that." muttered Goofy, rubbing the back of his head in surprise.

"It's a big deal is what it is!" huffed Donald, "Royal Knights always march around the castle and make sure it's okay!"

"Guess you three will be taking charge soon as we retire, hyuck." added Goofy.

Everyone was surprised; even reserved Riku didn't seen the king's announcement coming. Only Kairi expressed sadness. Her eyes were downcast and her lips were pressed into a thin, unhappy line.

"What's wrong?" Sora whispered.

Kairi's cobalt eyes glanced at him and she opened her mouth, but her words were masked by the sound of wind violently moving toward them.

A dark blob in the sky moved in front of the sun, covering the entire castle in sudden grey, twilight. Everyone was now distracted from the festival and looked up to the sky. The whirling darkness in the sky began to grow with every passing minute, sucking in air from the castle as it grew. The larger it became, the more air it began to absorb. Soon the tallest towers of the castle began to warp and twist into the growing void.

"Oh _not_ _again_…" sighed King Mickey and Queen Minnie.

Something dropped out of the growing void and landed on the courtyard floor with a loud "CLANG". Donald was the first to approach it, mostly out of curiosity. It appeared to be a metal container, cylindrical in shape, dented and with sunburst splotches of rust splattered along it. Then it jolted and Donald jumped back. The metal cylinder hovered into the air and shadows burst from inside of it. A large blob came out of the top of the cylinder and a single eye bobbed in the middle of the dark ether.

"What is that thing?" said Sora.

"If it's anything, it's some kind of Heartless or Nobody." said Riku, immediately bringing his Keyblade to hand.

Soon, the sky was raining metal cylinders. They clattered onto the ground and even smashed a few innocent bystanders in the head. As soon as they arrived on the ground, they came to life, bubbling with dark mist and disembodied eyes and mouths floating in their ether.

"_Let's go!" _yelled Sora, "We have to protect the King and Queen! We're Royal Knights after all!"

He charged at the strange creatures, but his Keyblade slammed against their metal torso. Its mechnaical inside vibrated with an empty hum. The creature's single eyeball stared at him and then its misty head wrapped itself around his body. Sora gasped and struggled in the mist, unable to escape from it.

_There was continual darkness, a void without ocean or sky. Sora was standing inside of it, though he did not understand why. He had been here before, though his memory was foggy on the details. He raised his Keyblade and slashed through the murk, only to have it knit back together. _

"_Where am I?" muttered Sora. _

_A smooth and silken voice came to him, but it was sweet chocolate drizzled over a slab of pure arsenic. It gave no gender, no sense of identity – whether it was human, animal, Heartless or Nobody. _

"_I want you to suffer, Sora." it said, "I want you to suffer alone in the darkness as I did." _

_The voice made Sora shiver. His spine kinked with nervous energy. _

"_Who are you?" he demanded. _

_The voice laughed and it echoed through the infinite gloom. _

"_The darkness you threw away!" it chuckled, "The Heartless that you forgot!" _

_Sora suddenly realized he was sinking. He didn't understand how or why since there was no land or sky in this darkness, but he was falling through the shadow mists. Something in his hand sparked with light – the Keyblade! The Keyblade shined, penetrating the shadows and a circle of light opened under him. Sora fell through, unable to stop himself from screaming in fear. _

"_Oh, you can run, Sora." mused the voice in the darkness, "but I can see where you tread…"_


	2. Part 1: Falling out of the Darkness

_A/N – This story is the result of a soda and sugar fueled afternoon in the RPG/anime club at Holyoke Community College, a week before winter break. We were tired of waiting for Kingdoms Hearts III the game to come out and decided to write our own script out of irritated fanboy/fangirl boredom. I took the ideas discussed and cobbled them together into a workable story. Yeah, so advice and helpful criticism is welcomed on how our ideas worked out and what needs improvement. _

_Also, we went by Square Enix/Disney rules and regulations for this to seem official, which include: making things as canon to the Disney/Square Enix/Kingdom Hearts universe as possible, keep the rating for Everyone or Teen as the games are, and make sure to have fun._

_So, we don't own Kingdom Hearts, Square Enix, or Disney – though if we did we would have worked this into the new KH game. _

* * *

**Kingdom Hearts III: Let Me Give the World to You**

**1.1 -** "**Falling out of the Darkness" **

Sora's back greeted the reeking contents of a large garbage container. He groaned, cursing his luck as he pulled a brown-spotted banana peel out of his hair. He jumped out of the garbage container and breathed in fresh air. Unfortunately, the air of – wherever he was – was not the sea salt purified air of the Destiny Isles. This was tainted with smog, rotting vegetables, several days old food, and something that smelled as if it laid dying for several days now. _'It could be the alley.' _considered Sora. He was standing in an alleyway with three large bins of rotting garbage and an overflowing garbage bin, plus a large cardboard box with a shabbily dressed man inside.

It was not the alley, as Sora soon discovered. He stepped out of the alley only to be bombarded with a rampant city. People were coming and going in all directions, either on foot or using large cars puffing out noxious gas. Sora had only seen a car once in the Destiny Isles, but it was small and rarely used. The mode of transportation on an archipelago were boats, after all.

"Where's Sora and Riku?" he wondered to himself as he walked down the street.

He was still wearing his white festival clothes and the Keyblade remained in hand, so not much had changed. Maybe the others had been dropped off in other areas of the city, like before? He shivered. This place was twice as big as Twilight Town, Traverse Town, or Radiant Gardens. It could be weeks before he even caught head or tails of anyone he knew in this massive city.

Wait, maybe somebody here could help him?

"Excuse me, miss–" said Sora to a woman who was walking by him.

"Hey, stupid! I'm walking here!" yelled the woman, shoving Sora aside.

"Sir, do you–" said Sora to a man walking by him.

"Move outta the way! I got places to be!" yelled the man, pushing Sora in another direction.

The inhabitants were also a lot less friendly than in the other places he visited. He sighed and decided to keep walking through the city. He turned a corner and he arrived in an area that seemed less desirable. There were very few people on the streets and those who were present were shifty, looking around carefully and often wore long trench coats.

"You wanna buy a watch, kid?" asked a man in a long trench coat.

"No thank you." said Sora.

Something jabbed Sora in the back. From what he could feel, it was pointy and he hoped it wouldn't move any further into his spine.

"Your wallet, kid." a voice breathed into his ear.

"My wallet?" asked Sora.

"Fork it over," growled the voice, jabbing the pointy object further into Sora's back.

'_I hate this place.' _Sora whimpered, too afraid to speak.

He was about to summon his Keyblade when a black car with a line of lights on its top came wheeling around. A woman with long black hair and tan skin jumped out of it.

"_Hey!"_ she ordered, pointing a gun at the man standing behind Sora. The man standing behind Sora looked like a deer in the headlights when he saw her. "Drop the weapon and let the kid go!"

The woman ran at the man, but he shoved Sora to her. Sora fell on the woman as the man grabbed his knife and ran down a dark alleyway. The woman cursed, shoving Sora off of her and rushing to the edge of the dark alley.

"Damn. Lost him." grumbled the woman. She looked at Sora, "You okay, kid?"

"Think so." said Sora. He was glad, considering how this was the first person in this miserable city who cared about his well being.

"What the heck do you think you're doing here?" demanded the woman. Her face was knotted with irritation.

"I'm wondering that myself." muttered Sora, looking at his feet.

"Don't you realize that it's Wednesday?" the woman said.

"Um…yeah, I guess."

"You should be in school!" growled the woman. She grabbed Sora's hand and dragged him in direction of the black car, "Not running around in the _Bronx _of all places! No wonder you almost got mugged if it weren't for me."

"Bronx? Is _that_ where I am?" asked Sora.

The woman stopped in her tracks. She looked at Sora, quizzically."Are you messing with me, kid?"

"I don't _think_ I am…"

"Do you know the charges for lying to a police officer?"

"A _what_?"

The woman grumbled, fishing inside of her orange-red jacket and pulled out a folded piece of leather. She unfolded it, displaying a golden badge to Sora with the inscription "NYPD" on it. Sora stared at it and then smiled.

"That's a very nice piece of jewelry, miss." said Sora.

The woman sighed and put away the folded piece of leather. "Where are you from, kid?" she asked, leading Sora to the black car.

"Destiny Isles!" replied Sora. He sighed longingly, "Though I haven't been there for a long time now. Mom must be worried…"

"Is that in Hawaii or something?" asked the woman.

"What's a Hawaii?" asked Sora.

"Never mind." sighed the woman. She unlocked the car. "Get in, kid. A greenhorn like you isn't safe in these parts."

"What's a greenhorn?" asked Sora, "I've never been in a car before–"

_"Just get in the damn car!"_ the woman yelled, her patience thinning.

Sora opened the door and crawled inside. The woman got on the other side and turned the key in the ignition. The engine rumbled to life and the car jolted forward. Sora lurched forward and the woman sighed, instructing him to wrap the seat belt around his body.

"Sorry about being so impatient. I've got a lot on my mind." said the woman, "I'm Detective Elisa Maza, by the way. I've been investigating some disappearances in this area recently and well, the short story, kid – is that it's not safe for anyone your age in this neighborhood." She looked at him. "What's your name, kid?"

"Sora." replied Sora, "I'm looking for my friends. We were at a party when it got all dark and I was dropped here." He sighed, "I don't really know where I am, or my friends…"

"I wouldn't bet on finding them too soon, kid. This is New York – people disappear every day." said Elisa, "Where do you live?"

"Destiny Isles."

"But _where_ is it?"

"I dunno. It's in the ocean." He sighed, "I guess I can say it's definitely not here."

"Well, do you have a phone number you can contact? An address? Do you know where your parents work or do they have a work number or cellphone?"

Sora shrugged. "I don't think so. I don't really know…"

This kid was either seriously lost or a wet match in a dark cave. Elisa had met some dense people in her time, especially in the Bronx and Brooklyn, but even a runaway teen could run down a list of where their parents worked, what they did, where they lived, and even a few credit card numbers if the situation called for it. She looked Sora up and down–guessing by the odd clothes and his wide-eyed innocence, he had no idea on how to stretch the truth to his own advantage. For all she knew, he probably dropped in from Kansas and thought he was lost in Oz. If anything, she could run his name through the database at the police station.

Downtown traffic was worse than usual so Elisa found herself stuck in the car for two hours with the kid. Unfortunately, she asked him about his past and got an insane story that seemed to be straight out of Alice in Wonderland, or maybe the Wizard of Oz depending on Frank L. Baum's mood.

"–so the whale spat us out and everything was fine, I guess. Riku was still mad at me, though," continued Sora.

"Something's wrong." muttered Elisa, "I've seen bad traffic jams but this is L.A. ridiculous. What's going on?"

The cars in the street had been frozen for an hour now. Elisa rolled down the window and peeked outside. A man ran by the police car, followed by several other people. Soon, everyone was jumping and scrambling out of their cars, running in the opposite direction.

"Monsters!" screamed a woman. "_Monsters!" _

"What?" muttered Elisa. She looked at the sun – it was still an hour to sunset. She turned to Sora, "Stay here, kid. I got to check something."

Elisa readied her gun and stepped out of the car, locking the kid inside. If this was Demona's doing, he couldn't get involved. She didn't want innocents like him getting mixed up in this. She skulked past the cars, staying low in case Demona was circling the area with rifle or bazooka in hand. She wouldn't waste any time blasting Elisa into nothing but a smudge on the streets of New York.

Something rattled ahead. Elisa saw a Volkswagen shudder and then be compacted by a growing mist, as if it were a creature consuming a leg of lamb. Creatures shifted around, their centers made of metal with streams of dark smoke coming from them. They hovered around the cars, biting into the hoods and chewing it down.

"What the heck?" muttered Elisa. She had seen demons and creatures before, but nothing of this caliber. She looked at the sun again – still an hour or so to sundown. Crap. She thought about calling for back up, but who would believe this story? She might as well tell them about gargoyles in the Eyrie Building.

The only thing she could do now was sneak back to the car and get the kid and herself out of her before these creatures ate them as well inside the car. They'd have to lay low until dark.

A fireball flew down from above. Elisa rolled out of the way as the fireball slammed into the pavement, scorching the side of a car. Elisa looked up just as another fireball came in her direction. Elisa dove again, rolling underneath an SUV for temporary cover.

"Come out, come out, wherever you are…" laughed a feminine voice, "I know you're hiding somewhere, little human…"

Demona. What was she doing out in the daylight and causing so many problems?

Sora fidgeted inside of the car. Elisa had been gone for at least ten minutes now. He suddenly heard a loud crackle from the far end of the street and peered through the window shield. He couldn't see a thing with so many cars in the way. He turned the curious crank on the door next to him and stuck his head through the open window. It hit him immediately – the smell of gasoline and burning rubble. He saw the same dark mist from before was slowly inching toward him, consuming the cars and anything in front of them. He saw a shadow circling the area from above.

"The sooner you come out, the quicker this is over!" said a voice. It was a woman and it cackled as it circled the area from above.

This city was strange and its citizens weren't the kindest people, but he wouldn't let those new Heartless consume it. He had seen what happened to worlds and people when it was consumed by darkness.

The door refused to unlock, so Sora crawled through the window, twisting and contorting his body so that it barely squeezed through. He fell on the ground, summoning the Keyblade to hand. Just as he stood up, a fireball was flung at his feet. Sora jumped onto another car, skidding across the smooth metal surface and falling onto the ground on the other side.

"You must be the curious stranger my new master mentioned." said the woman, landing on a nearby car. The car grunted under her weight.

The woman had indigo skin, smooth like a reptile with a thick tailing trailing behind her. Her head was a flame of red hair, a shade Sora hadn't seen in anyone else besides Axel. Her wings were spread around her body and her claws were encased in a fire that didn't sear her skin. She wore a skintight suit, dark red in hue with golden swirls inscribed into it that pulsated with life.

"Do you like my fire, boy?" she chuckled, "It's a gift from my master. He said I could be this way forever as long as I bring your head on a platter!"

The gargoyle woman dove at Sora. Sora blocked her fire with his Keyblade.

"_Back off!"_ yelled Sora. He blocked her with the Keyblade, smacking her back. The gargoyle woman spun back from Sora, flapping in the air to lessen the recoil of the blow. "There's _no way _I'm surrendering to you! Where's Riku and Kairi?"

"Riku? Kairi?" asked the gargoyle woman, "I have no idea who you speak of, boy!"

She tossed three more fireballs at Sora. Sora saw them coming and dodged, rolling behind a 1998 Taurus for temporary cover.

Elisa rolled from under the SUV and climbed on top of it. She pulled out her gun, aiming it at Demona's heart.

"Leave the kid out of this, Demona!" ordered Elisa, "This is between you and me!"

"Actually, it isn't." replied Demona, taking to the air again and circling around Elisa from above. "My new master wants the boy dead. You, I can kill any time I please, now that the master has given me new powers."

"Master, huh? Is that why you're out in the daylight without being human?" asked Elisa.

"You're not as slow as I thought you were!" laughed Demona.

"I thought gargoyles were protectors – they didn't have masters." said Elisa, "I wonder what _Goliath_ would say–"

The ploy worked. Demona hissed and sent at least ten fireballs at Elisa. Elisa scrambled off of the top of the SUV but had to stop, drop, and roll since the outside of her vest caught the tail of the fire barrage. Elisa looked at the sky – the sun was lower now, only twenty-five minutes until sunset, she estimated. All she had to do was keep Demona stalled and away from the kid.

"I've had enough of this!" growled Demona. She looked at the dark mist that was still consuming everything around it, "Stop stuffing your face and kill them!"

The mist-creatures ceased consuming the machinery and began to march toward Sora and Elisa. Elisa groaned – this was not her day. Sora saw their approach and leapt toward a mist-creature making its way toward Elisa. He dove down, slashing it across its cylindrical chest. The mist creature shuddered and hissed, its mist evaporating and rejoining the others.

"I got you covered, Ms. Maza!" said Sora, stepping in front of her. "I've fought these guys before."

"You _have_?" said Elisa. Maybe the kid wasn't as loony as she thought.

Sora ran toward the mist-creatures. He knew their weakness was the cylinder torsos; all he had to do was avoid being swallowed again like at the castle. He slashed through the wave, pushing a bulky one off of a pick-up truck just as it began to chew at the bumper. The bulky creature retreated back into the mist, only to rejoin with others.

One of the creatures uttered a gurgling hiss – something that sounded like a drowning infant choking on a rattlesnake. Its misty head latched onto the hood of a SUV and ripped it away. Its head stretched into a twisted mass of serpentine tentacles and whipped around – flinging the hunk of metal in Sora's direction.

CLANG!

Sora was lucky the blunt edge of the hood slammed into his abdomen, propelling him three feet from where he stood and skid against the cement, stripping at his skin. The hunk of metal covered him, refusing to let him up. Sora groaned, trying to push it off of him but the metal was too heavy for one person. He wheezed, feeling the weight of the metal on his lung – squeezing the air out.

Elisa ran over, grabbing the edge of the scrapped hood.

"Hold on, kid!" panted Elisa, pushing away the hood. It scraped against the cement but moved inch by inch. The mist-creatures were advancing. The sky was slowly turning an orange-red with impending dusk.

Sora was gasping for air but his hands still gripped the car hood, trying to force it off.

Demona hovered above them, chuckling.

"Two birds with one stone." she laughed and aimed a fireball at Sora and Elisa, aligning their skulls for the perfect shot.

Darkness settled over the oblong buildings. Dark shadows flew through the air and the largest slammed into Demona's back, knocking her from the sky. Demona hit he pavement, hearing the crack of her smaller ribs, and stood, growling and her eyes flashing crimson rage.

Just as Sora saw everything grow dark, the car hood was lifted from him and flung away like a Frisbee. Sora swallowed air, filling his lungs to the maximum. Something lifted him off the ground by his shirt.

He came face to face with a dark purple gargoyle, a behemoth of his kind with thick muscles and long hair.

"Why does Demona seek to destroy you, tiny human?" asked the creature.

"I don't know." said Sora, poorly hiding his intimidation of the monster-man, "Please, put me down now."

The gargoyle placed Sora on the ground. Elisa stood next to him, her face not expressing fear or concern.

"I got friends in high places kid," said Elisa, pointing above.

Sora looked up and saw that more gargoyles were approaching them from above.

"Monsters?" asked Sora.

"_Gargoyles_." corrected Elisa.


	3. Friends from Above

_A/N – This story is the result of a soda and sugar fueled afternoon in the RPG/anime club at Holyoke Community College, a week before winter break. We were tired of waiting for Kingdoms Hearts III the game to come out and decided to write our own script out of irritated fanboy/fangirl boredom. I took the ideas discussed and cobbled them together into a workable story. Yeah, so advice and helpful criticism is welcomed on how our ideas worked out and what needs improvement. _

_Also, we went by Square Enix/Disney rules and regulations for this to seem official, which include: making things as canon to the Disney/Square Enix/Kingdom Hearts universe as possible, keep the rating for Everyone or Teen as the games are, and make sure to have fun._

_So, we don't own Kingdom Hearts, Square Enix, or Disney – though if we did we would have worked this into the new KH game. _

* * *

**Kingdom Hearts III: Let Me Give the World to You**

– "**Friends from Above" **

"Gargoyles?" asked Sora, raising an eyebrow. "You mean those statue things like in the books?"

"We were more than statues, a thousand years ago." said the massive gargoyle Elisa introduced as Goliath, "We were cursed to become stone by day and–"

"Goliath, while I do enjoy listening to the history of our clan, we do have a situation here." interrupted a maroon gargoyle named Brooklyn.

He pointed to the mist creatures who had consumed a third of the cars frozen in traffic. They now moved onto the surrounding buildings, ignoring cement and bricks and going for metal frames and streetlights.

"What are those creatures?" said a female gargoyle named Angela.

Demona rose to the air. "A gift from the master – say hello to the creatures that will consume all the humans on this wretched planet!" she laughed.

"Demona!" yelled Goliath, "Beasts such as these will destroy everything!" Demona chuckled in reply, as if Goliath's words were a child's fairytale. Goliath growled, "What are you up to, Demona? _What have you done?_"

Demona's reply was to shoot a blast of flame at the Manhattan Gargoyle clan and Sora. Goliath scooped up Elisa and Sora while the other gargoyles flapped out of the fireballs' reach. Demona laughed and continued firing at them, watching them run like beasts with their tail tips enflamed from a forest fire.

"We have to defeat her!" said Sora, meaning Demona. "If she's anything like what I've fought before, if she goes down - the others go to!"

"We can't get near here with that firepower!" growled a gargoyle named Broadway.

Elisa looked down at the wave of mist that was steadily consuming the city. One of the mist-creatures ripped a streetlight out of the cement and swallowed it down as if it were made of candy. The mist-creatures left only a path of emptiness as they ate away anything they were faced with. "We better think of something fast," she added, "before those things eat all of New York."

Sora paused. He watched Demona fling the fire. Only her front was guarded, but not her back. He remembered fighting those fire-breathing Heartless in Agrabah and an idea came to him. He looked to Goliath, who held him under one arm with Elisa in the opposite one.

"Goliath!" said Sora, "Throw me at her back!"

Goliath blinked. "What now?"

"I can defeat her if I get at her back! You can toss me at her!" said Sora.

Goliath wasn't sure if this was logic or panic from the idea of being burned alive by Demona, but nobody else was offering any other ideas. He circled around Demona, making sure to keep a safe distance between him and her.

"Just like old times, Goliath." chuckled Demona, "You know, a thousand years of scrounging and fighting have helped me realized something–" The fire crawled along her arms and she laughed, lunged at the larger gargoyle. "–you never _deserved_ someone as powerful as me! I'm out of your _league_, now!"

While she was distracted by her bravado, Goliath rose in the air and swung himself around. He only had one shot at this. He grabbed Sora with one massive arm and flung him at the gargoyle woman's back.

'_Only one chance!' _realized Sora.

He stabbed at Demona's back with the Keyblade. The Keyblade pierced the crimson suit Demona wore, sending blast of purifying light into her dark heart. Demona screamed and spiraled down to the ground.

Sora soon followed her, lacking the ability to fly, began to fall right after Demona. Angela flew at him and grabbed him before he could.

"I have you, friend." said Angela, carrying him off.

Sora was more focused on the mist-creatures. As soon as Demona hit the ground, they swelled into bubbles and suddenly burst until they were gone; leaving only the destruction they had wrought by her uncontrollable hunger. Sora frowned – usually things went back to normal once the Heartless in the area were gone. Something was still wrong in this strange new world.

Demona dragged herself off of the ground.

The gargoyles brought Sora and Elisa to a large tower overseeing the city, which they inhabited. Sora looked around the place and actually felt more comfortable here than anywhere else in the city. The must and cobwebs of the moldering tower reminded Sora of when he first explored Hollow Bastion and discovered the Princesses of Heart.

"So you say you are a warrior?" said skeptical Hudson after listening to Sora's story of his chaotic arrival. He peered at him, disbelieving, "You seem young. And small."

"Looks can be deceiving." said Goliath, "Even small and impish Puck proved to be as troublesome as Demona in his own way."

Sora shrugged. "I guess you never really bulk up fighting Heartless." He sighed, "Except for Riku, but he was always kind of…muscle-ish."

"And your friends?" said Angela, "You were separated from them?"

Sora nodded. He sighed, "But this isn't the first time it's happened. It seems every time we get together, we always just end up being separated and we have to start all over."

"Have you considered a leash? Or maybe duct tape?" asked Elisa. Sora growled and she sighed, "Lighten up, kid! I'm just kidding."

"But what are these creatures have invaded our world?" said Goliath.

"They are called Ciphers."

A man stood in the doorway – glasses placed on the bridge of his nose and blonde hair shaved short, his body pressed into a blue suit.

"Owen, what are you doing here?" asked Elisa.

Owen approached them, his eyes locked on Sora. "I couldn't help but overhear your conversation." he said, "This is not the only place that is experiencing strange occurrences." He paused, "Something is foul on the Isle of Avalon as well."

"I thought Oberon sealed away your powers since you stopped him from kidnapping Alexander Xanatos?" said Goliath.

"That is what worries me," admits Owen. The air around him shimmered and the image of the stoic businessman was replaced by a hobgoblin with disheveled platinum blonde hair and pointed ears, clothed in the fur of animals.

"Owen!" gasped Lexington, "You're…Puck again!"

"See my point?" chuckled Owen, now Puck, "Oberon's spell to seal my powers has begun to fade. I would assumed that he had changed his mind about my banishment but now these creatures have shown up and I can sense something amiss in Avalon…"

"What did you call them again?" asked Sora, "Ciphers? Are you sure they're not Heartless or Nobodies?"

"Ah, the young hero Sora, I presume?" said Puck, bowing to the boy.

"How did you know my name?" asked Sora.

"Many of the worlds have whispered thanks to you for saving them from the darkness." replied Puck, "Did you think your adventures were only known to those around you?" He waved his hand before Sora could reply, "And I know you have fought creatures as this before, right?"

Sora nodded. "But what are the Ciphers?"

Puck rubbed his chin, scanning his memory. "They're odd creatures, you know. Very difficult to explain."

"How come we've never heard of these Ciphers before?" asked Brooklyn.

Puck shrugged. "It never came up. You see, the Ciphers are destructive creatures and had to be sealed away for their own good. After the world was made, three races were created to populate it – humans, gargoyles, and us – Oberon's children, as you may know. However, there was something that had been...left over after all three races had been created. The Ciphers."

"Left over?" asked Elisa, "Are you telling me that these Ciphers are made of the same thing that makes me human or Goliath a gargoyle?"

"And me a hobgoblin," added Puck, "but it's not entirely. The Ciphers are bits and pieces of human, gargoyle, and Third Kind, with the one exception: they are empty inside. No heart, no soul, and they barely have bodies. Ciphers only know one thing: _consume_."

"Consume?" asked Sora.

Puck nodded. "That's right. Ciphers eat, eat, and eat until they can fill the emptiness inside – but they can't of course and that's what drives them mad. The Ciphers devour anything they're faced with and would have eaten all of the worlds if they hadn't been locked up."

"Why weren't they destroyed?" asked Angela, "Such vicious creatures shouldn't be allowed to exist."

Puck raised an eyebrow. "Do you know how to kill something that isn't alive? Or even dead? Ciphers are only shells for what could have become a gargoyle, a human, or even a hobgoblin. All of the Ciphers were gathered and locked away in a dark void." He frowned, "But something has let them loose and they're starting on their eating rampage."

Sora shivered, remembering the voice in the darkness before he fell into this strange world. Could this really be at the hands of _his_ Heartless? _'I know where you tread, Sora…' _and Sora could feel ice run in his veins when he heard the voce echo in his head.

"We should go to the Isle of Avalon immediately." said Goliath, "We cannot let someone as powerful as Oberon fall to the darkness."

"You're right," agreed Elisa, "I'd hate to think what they could do with Oberon's powers."

"How do we get there?" asked Sora.

"Easily!" said Puck.

The cobblestone floor began to fade into a cool, grey mist. Sora found himself plummeting toward the swirling surface of dark water and was soon headfirst in the cold river. He swam to the surface, coughing up a candy wrapper as he floated along in the filthy water. Elisa splashed near him.

"Damn it, Puck!" cursed Elisa, "I hate magic!"

_Now, now, _Puck's voice rode on the wind, _you can't expect me to be all good, even if I'm helping you. Trickery's my nature. You should know that, Miss Maza. _

Goliath paddled toward them in a wooden boat with a dragon head carved into its head. He scooped Elisa out of the water and then Sora.

"What kind of place is this?" grumbled Sora as he fished a banana peel out of his hair. "The river's all polluted."

"Welcome to the Hudson River, kid." said Elisa, wringing the dark, dirty water out of her jacket.

_I suggest you stop sight-seeing and hurry along to Avalon, _advised Puck, _and try not to get yourselves killed – or rather, _eaten _by the Ciphers. _

"Wonderful." grunted Elisa.

The canoe seemed to have a mind of its own and steered them headlong into the growing fog condensing around the murky river.


	4. Toward the Tower

_A/N – This story is the result of a soda and sugar fueled afternoon in the RPG/anime club at Holyoke Community College, a week before winter break. We were tired of waiting for Kingdoms Hearts III the game to come out and decided to write our own script out of irritated fanboy/fangirl boredom. I took the ideas discussed and cobbled them together into a workable story. Yeah, so advice and helpful criticism is welcomed on how our ideas worked out and what needs improvement. _

_Also, we went by Square Enix/Disney rules and regulations for this to seem official, which include: making things as canon to the Disney/Square Enix/Kingdom Hearts universe as possible, keep the rating for Everyone or Teen as the games are, and make sure to have fun._

_So, we don't own Kingdom Hearts, Square Enix, or Disney – though if we did we would have worked this into the new KH game. _

* * *

**Kingdom Hearts III: Let Me Give the World to You**

**1.3 **– "**Toward the Tower" **

The trip was grueling – even worse than being stuck in the Gummi Ship for days on end with nothing but leftover popcorn and RC cola to eat until they landed on a world that sold something edible for humans and humanoid creatures (not all of them did, as Sora painfully found out). Sora sighed: where were the others? It seemed every time he was enjoying Riku and Kairi's company, they were yanked away from him again and he had to track them down. Though, he (usually) had Donald and Goofy by his sides instead.

'_This is the longest time I've been alone.' _Sora realized and he sighed, dragging his hands through the dark river.

"Wouldn't do that if I were you, kid." said Elisa.

"Why not?" asked Sora. He groaned when he caught his hand in a six-pack plastic wrapper. He began to work at pulling it off. "_I hate this place!_ Everything's either dirty or polluted and the people here seem to only want to hurt me!"

Elisa sighed. "I know, but it grows on you after a while."

Goliath pointed ahead. "Land!"

A fuzzy emerald line came into view and then grew into a large coastline green with trees and plants in full summer's bloom. The canoe landed on the shore and Sora jumped out, eager to spread his legs.

"Is this Avalon?" asked Sora.

Goliath flapped up and scanned the area from above. There were trees for miles and miles around and in the far distance a great stone castle with a massive bell tower spiraling out of its center. He flew back to the ground and landed between Sora and Elisa.

"Avalon is abandoned as far as I can tell." said Goliath. "We should move ahead and quickly."

They moved into the first line of thick trees, mostly oaks and elms unheeded by the threat of being cut down and supplied with the constant summer season of Avalon. The trees in the deep jungles where Tarzan roamed hadn't grown so tall, impeded by the thick vines that mercilessly ensnared them. There was a rustle in the trees, and Sora turned to the source of the noise.

A Cipher with a bulbous cylinder at its center was sitting in the middle of a clearing. It uprooted a tree with a murky hand and opened its maw to gulp it down. Other Ciphers were eating away at the forest, eating not only trees but ripping up strips of grass and biting into boulders.

The larger Cipher noticed Sora and uttered a growl, bringing the other Ciphers to attention. They lunged at Sora, their mouths gaped open, showing their shadowed insides. Sora gagged, they were only shells of flesh, but it pulsated and oozed a toxic slime. The larger Cipher growled and waddled its body over to them, gurgling a threatening hiss.

"Looks like we have trouble," grumbled Sora.

The smaller Ciphers twitched, a few spitting out splinters – what was left of a mighty oak. Goliath charged, slashing at the Ciphers. Their shadowed bodies rippled from the assault. The injured Ciphers crawled away to the nearest tree and began to gnaw at it, regaining their strength.

Elisa pulled out her gun and shot at a few of the Ciphers, managing to shoot one through the head. The Ciphers stumbled around, headless.

"They're eating the forest!" said Elisa.

"Then we have to stop them before they do." replied Goliath.

Ciphers began to drop from the forest, turning from under every rock, out of the smallest shadow. They began their march towards them; a thick wall of Ciphers lurched toward them. Sora slashed at those in the first row, but they only dispersed and began to eat at the surrounding woods. He groaned. There were too many for them to fight while they were still able to eat and regenerate their powers.

The rattling of rusted armor echoed through the woods. A man in silver armor ran at the Ciphers, slashing them with his sword. The Ciphers hissed at him but suddenly retreated.

The armored man let out a sigh, "Thank the gods they're gone, for now." He turned to Goliath and Elisa. "Goliath! Elisa! Good to see you." He looked at Sora. "Who's this?"

"Sora, this is Tom." said Elisa, "Can you give us the short story of what happened here?"

"Sure, if you want me to leave out everything." replied the armored man, Tom. Elisa glared at him and he continued, "This just started a week or so ago. Katharine and I were watching the eggs – as normal – when this big hole tears across the sky. Then these strange creatures fall from it and start gobbling up the forest."

"And where is Oberon and his children?" asked Goliath.

Tom pointed to the castle's bell tower in the distance. "Those creatures won't go near the bell tower – they can't stand the sound of the ringing – so Titania, Katharine, and the others are holed up in there. The trouble is that those things have surrounded it. Can't get heads nor tails near it by myself."

"Then what are you doing out here?" asked Elisa.

Tom laughed. "Am I to cower in the tower with the women and babes? I am the _defender_!" He thumped his chest. "I'll be damned if I allow these beasts to eat my home!"

"You're a brave man to keep fighting them for so long." said Goliath.

"Aye, but the women and children are trapped in the clocktower with the demons surrounding it," replied Tom, shaking his head, "and I haven't been able to save them all by meself."

Sora smiled and shrugged. "Then what are friends for?"

Tom laughed and rustled Sora's hair. "Aye, that's the spirit, lad! You'll make a fine warrior one day!"

Tom led them through the woods. The shorter the distance became between the tower and them, the more desolated the forest became. Trees had been uprooted, leaving muddy holes and overturned rocks. Even the brooks and lakes had been slurped up by the Ciphers. The wind blew, carrying loose dirt of the newly formed desert with it. Avalon had been changed from a land of ever-summer beauty to a ravished and empty prairie devoid of life. Even the scavenger animals had fled.

"We are lucky here," said Tom, "the other isles of Avalon have been chewed away, I heard, so not even ground remains."

They crouched in the bushes when they came to the bell tower. Hundreds of Ciphers were encircled around it. One of them dared to come within a foot of the bell tower and a clanging immediately sounded from the pinnacle. The Ciphers shrieked and backed away. Meanwhile the other Ciphers had begun to tear up the ground and swallow dirt and soil.

"The demons are never full. The stand here and eat day and night." said Tom, "I fear for the women. If they cannot get inside the tower through the gate, then they will eat a tunnel under it."

"Then we have to stop them!" said Sora, and he rushed headlong at the Ciphers.

The Ciphers turned their attention from eating to their new attacker. They edged toward Sora, hissing with their mouths gaped open. Before they could bite into him, Sora slashed off one of their mouths. The removed maw hissed and gurgling, finally dissolving into a dark mist.

"Aim for the mouth!" said Sora. Another Cipher charged him and he shoved the Keyblade through its mouth. The Cipher gagged. Sora retracted the Keyblade and the Cipher's cleaved head fell apart. The creature's headless body writhed and dissolved. A glowing orb of light leaked out from the remains of the Cipher and dazzled in the air before disappearing.

Goliath roared and slashed at the maw of the Ciphers as Tom jammed his sword through several of their mouths. Two more orbs appeared and then disappeared.

Sora felt the elation of victory against one of the Ciphers, one of the beasts jumped on his shoulder and clawed at his back. Sora groaned, trying to fling the creature off. Elisa rushed over, yanking at the Cipher's cylindrical body.

"I can't get it off!" yelled Elisa, her fingers slipping against the Cipher's metal body. The Cipher spun its head around and hissed at it, gnashing its fangs.

"Let me at him!" charged Tom. He raised his sword and slashed the Cipher's abdomen. The Cipher wails and slithers off of Sora's back.

Eventually, the largest Cipher skulked away, screeching as it dashed from the prairie into the remaining woods. Two small Ciphers followed it, hissed and snarling at Sora and his companions.

"Are you alright, lad?" asked Tom, helping Sora stand.

Sora could feel the scrapes on his back from the sword grazing him and the Cipher's assault. He shakes his head and leans against his Keyblade, not willing to admit it that he was feeling very sore. They couldn't rest yet.

Tom looked toward the bell tower. "At least we are safe, for now." he sighed.

The metal door at the base of the bell tower opened. Katharine stepped through. She had been a beautiful woman but this attack from the Ciphers had aged her dramatically, her hair had gone entirely grey and in the light of Avalon – gave her a hoary halo. Tears welled in her eyes when she saw Tom and rushed over, embracing him.

"_Tom_!" she gasped, "Oh thank the All-Father you are alive!"


End file.
